Child Beauty Pageants

2043 WordsNov 15th, 20109 Pages

One would believe that a life of glamorous hair and make-up, beautiful gowns, and sparkling tiaras would be every young girls dream, unfortunately, for many, this dream often turns into a nightmare. For nearly fifty years children have been subjected to the world of beauty pageants where they have been forced to behave as young adults rather than the five year olds that they actually are. Young children spend numerous hours every day practicing speeches and model walks for upcoming pageants rather than focusing on schoolwork and playing with friends. With an emphasis placed on appearance in beauty contests, children become devastatingly concerned with the way that they look before many of them can walk. The lifestyle of child beauty…show more content…

In pageant settings, parents become extremely critical of their children's appearance and in the book, Guidelines for Adolescent Nutrition Services, Jillian Croll states that, "Familial concerns and pressures may also contribute to increased body dissatisfaction and body image concerns" (157). By letting their children enter beauty pageants, or forcing them to, parents are not only paving the way for their children to have lifelong issues with their appearance and self-worth, but they are also causing rifts in their relationships with their children, who may grow to resent their parents and associate them as a constant figure of judgment in their life. In an attempt to live vicariously through their children, parents of beauty pageant participants are stunting their children's inner growth and development by entering them into pageants against their will and before they are old enough to deal with the pressures of a pageant life. Putting aside whether or not a child willing or unwillingly enters into a beauty pageant, these contests can cause a number of negative effects regardless of whether a child does or does not want to partake in them. In various studies, it is proven that children as young as five have a clear image of what their appearance should be and if it is not up to par with that then their self-worth dramatically decreases and, in contrast, they feel that if they can improve their body through diets and other means

Living in a World of Barbies: Meet the Child Beauty Pageants
The seven-year-old girl caught a glimpse of herself in a small, cracked mirror as she was walking towards the stage. After spending countless hours sitting in a chair getting her hair and makeup styled to perfection, she looked up to see an unrecognizable version of herself: a little girl with a spray tan, lush lashes and bright red lips. She eerily resembled a plastic barbie doll. With her face covered in cosmetics, she couldn’t…

The Negative Effects of the Child Beauty Pageant
By: Pamela Wingate
English Composition 2
Individual Assignment 5
May 28, 2015
Abstract
This paper will explore the negative effects that a beauty pageant has on a child. While many people think that these pageants are an overall good experience for any child this paper contains and explores research paper that will outline the negative effects these pageants have on the children in them, some of them being long term effects. Some of…

The Negative Effects of Child Beauty Pageants
Purpose: To persuade my audience of the negative impacts beauty pageants have on girls.
INTRODUCTION:
I. It is 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning, and Sharon is about to awaken her two year old daughter, Jessica, to prepare for a 4 hour car ride. Jessica has not gotten much sleep in the past few days due to long hours of practice and is now very cranky. The only time Jessica will get to nap is during the 4 hour drive but then must stay awake the rest of the…

Beauty pageants, competitions judged mainly on a contestant’s physical beauty, introduce the question if they adversely affect a child’s development. The first Miss America pageant, held in 1921, started the modern beauty pageant era that exists today. However, current beauty pageants differ greatly from the first ones held 93 years ago. Many of the pageants called “high-glitz” pageants consist of the competitors wearing a lot makeup, big hair, spray tans, fake teeth called “flippers”, expensive…

Child Beauty Pageants: Are They Moral?
Lisa Allen
Com/172
March 12, 2011
Ron Tatum
Child Beauty Pageants: Are They Moral?
They say that beauty comes from within but if this is true why do parents parade their young children around and make their five-year-olds dress, look, and act like they are 18 years old. Child beauty pageants are very upsetting. “It aggravates the average viewer because how can a parent put their child through that emotional…

A lot of people would say that beauty pageants are common and popular these days, and that they have become ideal grounds for showcasing beauty and talent. Event organizers are beginning to focus on generating beauty competitions because of the increasing popularity of beauty pageants. Woman have such a desire to win the crown, and receive the medal that they are joining these pageants, however, at present, child pageants are on the rise. This research paper is to inform Annette Hill, the director…

three million child beauty contestants experience this scenario per year (O’Neill). Glitz beauty pageants exploit young children, teaching them that self-worth is in physical beauty only, while natural beauty pageants teach child contestants that natural beauty and personality is most important, encouraging them to be confident in who they are. Child contestants should not be allowed to compete in glitz beauty pageants; they should only be allowed to participate in natural beauty pageants, which promote…

Beauty pageants have been around in America for decades; however, they have not gained notoriety until the show "Toddlers and Tiaras" aired on national television. The airing of "Toddlers and Tiaras" has brought child pageants to the attention of many Americans. Not many people were aware of what took place in beauty pageants, but ever since the show debuted in 2009 there has been an intense controversy about children as young as newborns being entered into pageants. Some people say that pageants…

Disadvantages of Child Beauty Pageants
In today’s world, there are quite a few things that bother us Americans. One controversial topic at-hand would be child beauty pageants. The article, “Playing at Sexy” written by Peggy Orenstein, goes into detail of the negative effects of showcasing one’s child in a pageant. Hilary Levey takes a different approach to child beauty pageants. She finds them to be just as helpful as children who take after school lessons in her scholarly article, “Pageant Princesses…

something tragic. Claude Knights, the director of child protection charity Kidscape, says, "We do know that predators or paedophiles continually tend to justify their interest in children by saying children are sexual beings. That children are now given a channel to become little Lolitas, to be portrayed as older, to almost become mini adults – these are all trends that give legitimacy to that kind of thinking." In the end, children’s beauty pageants are essentially harmful to both young girls safety…